The International Hockey Federation (FIH) World Cup Qualifiers recently took place at the beginning of March in Santiago, Chile, where both men’s and women’s teams from Ireland competed and managed to secure entry to the World Cup later this summer.
The women started in Pool B, recording three wins from three; 5-0 win over Malaysia, 2-1 against Japan and 5-1 versus Canada. They went on to face Australia in the semifinals, coming up short with a 1-0 loss. This put them in a rematch with Japan to earn their place in the World Cup. A tense and scrappy battle ended 0-0, meaning a penalty shootout stood in the way of the team’s World Cup dreams. Ireland held their nerve and managed to win the shootout 3-1, with Hawkshaw, McLoughlin and McMaster converting their chances. A third-place finished was enough to see them through to the World Cup, despite the nervy end. A brilliant achievement for the team, who are building steadily and are cementing their place on the world stage. The women have a successful history in the World Cup, having come second in 2018. A dip in form left them in eleventh place at the 2022 World Cup, and the team will look to improve on this result in August.
Ireland men also travelled to Chile in search of qualification. They faced Canada, South Korea and Poland in the group stage, topping Pool B with three decisive wins. In the semifinal, they went up against Wales, putting in a commanding performance to win 4-0. With their ticket to the World Cup secured, they went up against France in the final, finishing their qualifiers unbeaten with a 2-1 victory. Jamie Carr won the Best Goalkeeper award, and this in form Ireland team have much to be confident about going into the World Cup. It has been eight years since the Irish men last qualified for the competition, and a young, exciting team will hope to make their mark on the tournament and build on this success.
The FIH Hockey World Cup will take place between Belgium and the Netherlands from the 15th-30th August.
